Caribbean Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Here is a delicious and fruity salad that’s perfect for an evening meal. I served it along with my Wheat Berry Salad with Strawberries and Dried Cherries which made a delectably light meal for a Sunday evening.
The recipe was inspired by Chilis‘ Caribbean Salad.
Here’s what you’ll need – no measurements are provided so you can scale it to the size salad you want:
Mixed greens (spring mix or your favorite salad mix)
Fresh pineapple
Mandarin oranges (if you buy canned be sure to buy ones that are not in syrup or sugar)
Dried cherries
Red bell pepper
Green onions, chopped
Cilantro (to taste) – I didn’t have any and it was still good without it
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Honey lime dressing:
1/8 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
(this will be more dressing than you’ll need but it’s a nice dressing to keep on hand)
Start by placing mixed greens in the bottom of a bowl.
Add fresh pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, dried cherries, chopped red bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and toss.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup prepare dressing by whisking together lime juice, olive oil, honey and cider vinegar.
Enjoy! – a light, refreshing meal or accompaniment.
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Wheat Berry Salad with Strawberries and Dried Cherries
I first discovered wheat berries several months ago at the Sweet Tomatoes salad bar and was immediately hooked.Not only are they good for you, but they are also delicious and make a very satisfying salad.
In making this recipe I learned that a little bit of uncooked wheat berry goes a long way. Three cups of uncooked wheat berries makes eight cups of cooked wheat berries. So I’ll be writing about wheat berries again soon since I now have 4 cups of leftover cooked wheat berries in my freezer that I need to decide what to do with!
Wheat berries have recently become more popular and commonly available. They are a superfood and consist of the entire wheat kernel–bran, germ and endosperm. Since they are not processed they retain their nutrients and are an excellent source of fibre. Studies have shown that whole grains can help prevent, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Eating Well.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 1/2 cups uncooked wheat berries
3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 1/2 cups strawberries, diced
1 cup pecan pieces
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
For the dressing:
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice
Place wheat berries in large pot and fill with water so there is approximately 2 inches of water above the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for an hour or until tender adding extra boiling water as necessary. I had to cook mine for a little over an hour and used the kettle to add extra water as it boiled off. Drain off excess water and let cool.
Heat oven to 350 F and bake pecans for 7-9 minutes until fragrant.
In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, dried cherries, strawberries, pecans, and celery.
Mix well.
In a small bowl or measuring cup prepare the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and orange juice and then pour over the salad. Mix well.
Serve as a side dish or on a bed of spinach.
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Aunt Esther’s Nut Burgers
You may have noticed I went for a couple weeks without posting. Life kind of got busy for a while. 🙂 I’ve been doing some volunteer work for Kansas City Make-A-Wish and for Gilda’s Club and in the middle of it all I spent a week in Atlanta.
In Atlanta I picked up a copy of The Cosmic Vegetarian Cookbook which is a book created by the Atlanta Meditation Center of SRF as a fundraiser for their new Temple. Thanks to Gary and Suzanne Werdesheim who shared this recipe, and to Aunt Esther! It is delish! I’ve adapted it slightly to add a little more veggie power. I recommend serving it with peanut and tomato stew as described in the instructions below.
You can see my photos from the Atlanta Aquarium here. The aquarium is incredible if you ever get a chance to go there.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp milk
1 cup cooking oatmeal, coarsely ground
1 cup of walnuts (or pecans or other nuts)
1/2 cup onion
Handful of spinach
1 cup of finely chopped or grated carrot
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle of thyme
Makes about 7 burgers.
Begin by placing all ingredients in a bowl starting with beaten eggs. Add milk, oatmeal, nuts, onion, garlic, spinach, carrots, mushrooms, flour, thyme, salt and pepper. I ground my spinach, carrots and mushrooms first in the food processor.
Mix everything together.
Cook in large frying pan with a little olive oil. Or if you prefer broil them in the oven.
Once the burgers are well cooked, spoon peanut and tomato stew over them and cook on low heat for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy! The burgers and the stew complement each other nicely. If you’re in a hurry serve with store-bought tomato sauce instead of the stew, but be sure to buy a real low sodium brand.
Veggie Yogi 